After seven months of conflict, is the Russian army weakened?

After almost seven months of war in Ukraine, can the Russian army win and what are its losses? On Wednesday, September 21, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Cho​ïgou, mentions 5,937 dead in Vladimir Putin’s army. This figure is disputed by Westerners. The American authorities advance figures of 70,000 to 80,000 Russian soldiers rushed. Several bodies of dead soldiers would thus not have been recovered.

“These bodies that have not been picked up, the army does not declare them as dead, it declares them as missing”, explains Anna Colin Lebedev, teacher-researcher in political science at the University of Nanterre. Moreover, the Russian armament would be insufficient because of the sanctions which hinder the war effort. For example, Russia can no longer import semiconductors, electronic components essential to power weapons. “It was discovered on the ground that some Russian shells used components from dishwashers”says Lukas Aubin, author of Geopolitics of Russia. From now on, Vladimir Putin is turning to North Korea or Iran to have arms delivered.